If there is one thing that speaks to us all despite the barriers of language, distance, time and much more, it is food.....
food
If there is one thing that speaks to us all despite the barriers of language, distance, time and much more, it is food. It connects us to the past, our memories, the people and even to the mysterious lands that we have never visited. The easiest way to share and experience your values and culture has got to be through gastronomy. Similarly, whether it is individuals or two different countries, your sure shot ice-breaker has to be through the grub.
As part of its public diplomacy activities, recently the Danish Embassy arranged a cook-off with Danish chef Adam Ebsen at Master Class, Karachi. Speaking to the scribe at the event, Ambassador Mr. Rolf Holmboe spoke about promoting the modern Danish gastronomy, also known as New Nordic cuisine, in Pakistan.
“The food we used to eat in Denmark in the olden days, as farmers working hard in the field, was heavy sumptuous food with a lot of potatoes - the (kind of) food you find in Northern Pakistan: not so spicy. We were not traditionally very good with spices. We cooked for long and got a lot of taste from the meat and the vegetables in the dish. And then, local cuisine started to evolve which is now all over the world. There are number of leading restaurants in Denmark with this concept,” explained Ambassador Mr. Rolf Holmboe.
“The concept is not that different so I thought it would be nice for a Danish chef to learn about Pakistani cuisine, also to introduce the concept of New Nordic cuisine here. We hope people are inspired to cook a little differently. It’s not just about cooking the traditional dishes but innovating to make it interesting,” he added.
The attendees at the event were divided in teams of two and had to follow the chef’s recipe for a Danish dish called ‘Sauteed Red Snapper with Hollandaise’. The cook-off was invigorating as the teams indulged in preparing the dish. It was a combination of pro-home cooks to rookies and first-timers.
The participants enjoyed the workshop tremendously and learned about the principles and methods of New Nordic cuisine emphasising local sourcing, respect for local products and tradition, simplicity in preparation and a perfect balancing of fragrances to strive for a perfect combination in taste. The top three teams were then selected by the chef, based on taste and presentation, and won prizes from Denmark.
Here’s hoping to see a variety of different cuisines making its way to Pakistan!
–– Adeela Akmal
